Pennsylvania Traffic Safety Enforcement Resource Center

Buckle Up Pennsylvania

Buckle Up PA is a project funded through PennDOT dedicated to raising the seat belt usage level in Pennsylvania through increased enforcement, public awareness and education. The partnership is comprised of municipal police departments, the Pennsylvania State Police, PennDOT, the US Department of Transportation and community groups and organizations.

OUR CURRENT FOCUS

“Our Current Focus”2015 "Click It Or Ticket" Mobilization May 18-May 31,2015

2015 “Click It or Ticket” MobilizationMay 18 – May 31, 2015

The 2015 CIOT Municipal Enforcement Mobilization will include a combination of Enforcement and Public Awareness. The Campaign, will re-energized law enforcement, gained earned media attention and together with Highway Safety Partners we will increase Seat Belt use, save lives and reduce injuries.

Buckle UP PA will continue our commitment for the 2015 “Click It Ticket” Mobilization to save lives by taking Three Simple Steps.

We believe we can help reduce the number of lives lost due to unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants by following these three steps.

The 2015 Click It or Ticket (CIOT) Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization will take place from May 18th at 6:00 PM to May 31, 2015. Over 300 Pennsylvania Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies and the thousands of police departments across the nation will be taking part in the Mobilization. BUPA is asking all law enforcement agencies to focus their time and resources in the areas where we have the best chance to increase seat belt use:• Nighttime Occupants• Occupants and Drivers under 18• Pick-Up Trucks Drivers• Roadways experiencing the highest numbers of unbuckled crashes/fatalities

The good news is that the number of highway deaths on Pennsylvania roads tumbled to a record low last year with 1,195 being recorded. This is the lowest number since recordkeeping began in 1928. Unbuckled fatalities also dropped, from 425 in 2013 to 383 last year.

Although slow, decreases in unbelted crashes at night are being recorded. There were 299 Occupant Fatalities at night in 2013 (9:00 PM to 5:00 AM) down from 437 in 2006. Law enforcement, working with regional LELs and highway safety partners, are playing a major role in reducing fatalities on our roadways.

The 2014 Border to Border (B2B) Seat Belt Campaign, re-energized law enforcement, gained earned media attention, and more visibly kicked off the CIOT mobilization. Last year more than 400 law enforcement agencies across 11 States and within neighboring Canadian borders participated in the four-hour evening operation. During the operation, participating law enforcement issued citations for more than 2,000 seat belt and child safety seat violations, as well as 5,479 citations for other traffic infractions. The 11 participating States’ activity earned a great deal of earned media, including 24 television news stories, 35 radio reports and 42 print media stories.

The 2015 B2B effort will build on the success from last year and expand state partners to increase both enforcement and public awareness. State partners from NHTSA Region 1, 2, 3 and 4 are scheduled to participate in this year’s event.

At 6:00 p.m. on Monday May 18th 2015, Pennsylvania Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies will join other agencies across the East Coast in mobilizing the Click It or Ticket (CIOT) “Border to Border” Operation. HVE operations, both day and night, on highways and interstates will be completed to address low seat belt use at night. Law enforcement agencies, for 4 hours, will send ‘zero tolerance’ message to the public: driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket, no matter what State.

Pennsylvania will be Kicking Off the Mobilization by joining 15 other eastern states and Ontario Canada in participating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Border to Border Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign. State, county and local law enforcement agencies will be out in force on the first night of the mobilization between the hours of 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM enforcing safety belt laws. High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) operations, both day and night, on highways and interstates will be completed to address low seat belt use. Law enforcement agencies, for 4 hours, will send a “zero tolerance” message to the public: “driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket, no matter what State”.

BUPA believes that a strong enforcement is the key to success in this Click It or Ticket mobilization that is why participating departments are being asked to solely enforce the Pennsylvania Traffic Laws. Traffic Enforcement Zone (TEZ) Details, Safety Checkpoints and Roving Patrols will be used to conduct seat belt enforcement. Law Enforcement Agencies will take a “Zero Tolerance” on all safety belt violations and to conduct 50% of enforcement at night in an attempt to persuade the remaining 16% of non-users to buckle up and increase seat belt use.

BUPA will be increasing high-visibility seat belt enforcement efforts around the clock to save more lives on our roadways. Motorists will be urged to fasten their seat belts, day and night … Click It or Ticket